


A Tale of Two Tales

by SingingInTheRaiin



Category: Hannibal (TV)
Genre: Alana is weirdly invested in Will's love life, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Hannibal Loves Will, Hannibal does not rubber stamp Will at the beginning, M/M, Old Men, Storms, Wedding, Wedding Rings, Will Loves Hannibal, Will also loves annoying Hannibal, Will is not afraid to get shouty, Winston the Dog - Freeform, alternating points in time, sentimental stuff, which ends up changing quite a few things
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-04-03
Updated: 2019-04-03
Packaged: 2020-01-04 03:47:51
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 11,926
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18335564
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SingingInTheRaiin/pseuds/SingingInTheRaiin
Summary: On a dark and stormy night, two old men are reunited after years spent apart. Meanwhile, a younger Will Graham is faced with a Hannibal who makes a single different decision, sending them both down a wildly different path.





	A Tale of Two Tales

Outside the cabin, the wind howled through the trees, while inside, the old man's fire was nearly out. He could hear the sounds of the dogs moving around restlessly in the next room, though they were all too old and tired to bark loudly at a little bit of unruly weather. The old man slowly got up to walk over to the fireplace, intending to throw in some more kindling to keep the source of warmth going despite the storm going on out there. 

But he was interrupted from his task by the sound of a loud, pounding knock on the front door of the small cabin. The old man furrowed his eyebrows in confusion. He only had his supplies delivered every three months, and it wasn’t time for a new batch. And there was no one else who knew where to find his home, since it was not an official address that could be found on any map or GPS. 

The man was curious, but not foolishly so. He ducked into the kitchen for a moment to grab his sharpest knife, and then went to go answer the door. The loud pounding hadn’t ceased, as if whoever was on the other side refused to let the old man forget that he had a visitor. His dogs seemed to sense his apprehension, and they began to go on alert, though he knew that if it came down to it, he would lock his dogs inside before he gave anyone the chance to hurt them.

He stood in front of the door, and didn’t bother asking who was there. He wasn’t sure if they would hear him over the wind anyways. He took a deep breath, and then slowly let it out, clutching the knife tightly in one hand as he used the other to pull the door open. It was a bit of a struggle, considering how strong the wind was, but he managed.

As soon as he saw who was standing on the other side of the door, the old man’s eyes widened, though he berated himself for even being surprised. His eyes slowly traveled up and down the familiar body, taking in the hints of a nice suit peeking out from under the collar of a heavy winter jacket, and the way that the hair looked almost entirely silver now. But those eyes were exactly the same as they’d always been. An amused glint to the dark crimson color. “I should have known that you would be the one to come for me, Hannibal.”

,,,

Will slammed his refrigerator door shut with more force than necessary. Hannibal didn’t even flinch from where he was standing in the doorway. “Is there a problem, Will?” 

Will narrowed his eyes, and then decided to open the fridge door just to slam it shut again for good measure. Then he turned around to glare at Hannibal. “Is there a problem? No, of course there’s no problem. I’m just tickled pink at the fact that you told Jack I am incapable of working in the field! What happened to rubber stamping me so that we could have our conversations unimpeded?”

Hannibal shrugged, looking entirely unbothered by any of this, which only served to annoy Will even further. “It would be irresponsible of me to send someone into the field without having spoken with them enough to actually be sure of their stability. However, I am well aware that you would not want to speak with me for the sake of your psychological evaluation. I came to a reasonable conclusion on how to best get you to open up to me, and as a result of that, I have learned a great deal about you in a more organic setting.”

Will clenched his teeth together. “And then you used that information to say that I can’t do my goddamn job. Get out of my house, Dr. Lecter. I have no wish to see you again, and now that I’m being relegated back to mere teacher, I have no need to see you again.”

“Is it really so impossible to believe that you and I could be friends, regardless of the fact that I was doing my job to the best of my ability?”

Will shook his head. He glanced up and down Hannibal, and he knew what to say to piss the guy off most. “I just don’t find you interesting.”

There was no visible reaction, but Will knew that his words had hit their mark. “I see. While, it is unfortunate, then, that we must part ways in this manner, but I’m afraid that I have done all I can. I was only looking out for your best interests, Will. I wish that you could understand that.” Then he turned and left, and as soon as he heard the sound of the front door swing shut, he slumped back against the heavy fridge. Something about Hannibal’s presence always put Will on edge, though he had no idea why. All he knew was that he hated it. And as much as he hated his empathy at times, he hated it even more when he couldn’t get a solid read on someone, because it meant that there was a lot more to them than there appeared to be.

But now Hannibal was out of Will’s life forever, and he didn’t need to worry about the doctor getting any strange ideas. Jack had been disappointed, to put it mildly, when he’d reported to Will that he hadn’t passed his psych eval, but there was nothing stopping Will from still being able to teach. Hell, maybe he’d tell Jack to just have Hannibal help him on his cases, if he put so much trust into the man’s words. All that mattered was that it was no longer Will’s problem. 

,,,

Hannibal pulled his lips back in an almost alien imitation of a smile. “Were you expecting someone else?”

Will shrugged, then winced as the movement pulled on old injuries. His shoulder always ached in bad weather. “You’re as close to the grim reaper as I’ve ever seen.”

Hannibal’s smile grew wider. “Do you think that I am here to take your life, Will?”

They both stared at each other for a few seconds before Will shrugged again, though only with one shoulder this time, and then stepped back so that Hannibal could enter the cabin and get out of the brisk air. They were both far too old to act unaffected by the harsh weather. “There would be something rather fitting in being killed by a ghost, wouldn’t there?” And yet, even as he said that he could see the damp footprints on the floor in a trail behind Hannibal, and the way that the man was swaying slightly in place to try and warm himself up. Those weren’t exactly the actions of a ghost. “Unless you mean to tell me that you’ve been alive all this time?”

There was no response immediately, so Will went into the kitchen to put the knife back into the wooden block it was normally stored in. He didn’t need a weapon to go up against Hannibal, because if the two of them were to fight to the death, they would kill each other with their bare hands. It was the only thing that Will could accept, and he was pretty sure that Hannibal felt the same way.

“Did you truly believe me to be dead?” Hannibal’s voice came suddenly from right over Will’s shoulder, and he abruptly turned around as quickly as he could, only to find Hannibal standing right in front of him, trapping him up against the counter. “Are you going to claim that that is the reason you never came after me, Will?”

Will scowled, and shoved lightly at Hannibal’s chest so that he could slip free and stand across the table from Hannibal. “You’re trying to make it sound as though I’m just summoning up excuses. How the hell was I supposed to know that you were still alive? It wasn’t my job to look into your cases! It wasn’t my job to follow after you!”

Hannibal tilted his head to the side, watching Will with the same unreadable expression that he always wore when he wasn’t pretending to show emotions on his person-mask. “Perhaps it was not your job, but you cannot deny that you wanted to. You can lie to me, and to everyone else in the world Will, but you cannot lie to yourself.”

Will crossed his arms over his chest. “So then you are here to kill me. I’d like to make a point about how unfair that is, considering that you’re the one who decided to end things between us, with all the blood and violence that you’re known best for. That wasn’t on me. I’m sorry if I didn’t feel like packing my bags and hunting you all across Europe the second that I was out of the hospital.”

“You know that I had to do what I did, Will. I was giving you a second chance. If I had wanted to kill you, then you would have been dead, have no doubt about it.”

Will shook his head. “Now it sounds like you’re the one making excuses, Hannibal. Just tell me how you found me and why you’re here so that I can come up with the most relevant way of telling you to fuck off.”

Hannibal reached up to touch his heart. “Will, you wound me. Is it truly so hard to believe that I would come back for you?”

“Yes,” Will bit out. “It’s impossible for me to believe a single word out of your mouth. You promised me forever, and instead you gave me a smile that most certainly does not make me feel cheery.” One of his hands dropped down to rub against his stomach almost without thinking, and Hannibal’s eyes seemed to zoom in on the reminder of the mark he’d left behind.

,,,

“We may never catch this killer,” Will said to the room full of solemn faced students. “They may never kill in this way again. But do not kid yourselves into thinking that this killer will fade from relevance. They are never going to stop trying to put their art out into the world.” Then he clicked off the projector and dismissed the students, waiting impatiently for the room to clear out, and giving sullen glares to the few students brave enough to try and approach him with questions. The beginning of every semester always started with Will making it very clear that he would not speak to anyone outside of class except for via email.

Once they were all gone, he could see that there was still someone standing in the back of the room. They began to make their way down the steps to get to the front of the room, and Will scowled at the sight of Dr. Hannibal Lecter. “Will,” he greeted with a small nod. There was something akin to amusement on his face, and Will had to resist the urge to punch it right off.

He turned his back on Hannibal, and then shivered at the sudden feeling that he was facing away from a predator. But it was just a high-society doctor, and not anyone who posed any kind of real threat to Will, and Will tried to ignore the feeling of being threatened as he packed up his briefcase. “You’re not welcome in my classroom,” he said in a brusk tone. “Now please remove yourself before I call security.”

“I didn’t mean to cause you such harm with your psychological evaluation, Will. I felt that an apology would be necessary. Of course, it is too late for me to take back my official report now, though I’m sure that with just a few months of therapy you would be able to-”

Will spun around to face Hannibal again, and found himself clutching his briefcase in front of his stomach as if it were some kind of subconscious shield that he was holding up. He forced himself to drop his hands to his side. He needed no protection from Hannibal. “I don’t need an apology from you. And I definitely don’t need therapy from you, or anyone else. If you think I can’t handle the field, then fine, I’ll stay right where I am. Jack Crawford is supposed to be an expert, so he can figure out his own cases. I’m comfortable where I am, Dr. Lecter. But you will not be if you continue to stand in my classroom after I have already told you to get out.”

Something in Hannibal’s eyes seemed to harden dangerously, but it only lasted for a second, and then he suddenly looked more amused than ever. “I understand. Well, I would apologize for this intrusion, but I’m afraid that you will only get tired of my apologies, so I will do my best to keep them sparse.”

“I won’t have the chance to get tired of your anything because I have no reason to ever see you again,” Will snapped. When Hannibal still didn’t move from his spot, Will decided to take the cowardly way out. “Now if you’ll excuse me, I have other appointments to keep.” 

He started to hurry away, when he heard a small snort from Hannibal. “I thought that you wanted me to leave the room, but now you are the one fleeing?”

Will whipped around. “I’m not running from anything. I’m just a very busy man and you’re really starting to get on my nerves!”

Hannibal nodded once. “I will take my leave then.” He left without another word, though Will didn’t believe for a second that it was just a coincidence when Hannibal brushed right past him to continue up the stairs to one of the doors. 

,,,

“Are you afraid of me, Will?”

Will dropped his hand away from the scar that he could still feel, even through the thick flannel shirt he was wearing. “No. The only reason I would have to be afraid of you would be if I was afraid of death, but I’m not. I’ve lived a very long life, and had a lot more experiences than most people ever will. I have no reason to be worried about dying now. I’m old and tired, Hannibal. Aren’t you? Aren’t you tired of this game?”

Hannibal pulled out the chair in front of him and sank down into it, letting Will stand over him. “Do you see what we do as a game, Will?”

This didn’t seem like the kind of conversation that would be short enough for Will to keep his position of standing above Hannibal. He sighed. “I need to put more kindling in the fire if you don’t want to freeze to death in here.” He headed into the living room, though made sure to keep Hannibal in his eyeline at all times as he went. Luckily, he’d brought in plenty of wood before the storm, so he didn’t have to worry about fetching any of the logs from the back shed that would surely be at least a little bit damp, if not entirely soaked through. 

He tossed a couple of the logs into the dying fire, and waited to make sure that they caught before he returned to the kitchen and sat down across from Hannibal. He leaned back in his seat, and stared at Hannibal with his full attention. “I used to think that it was just a game between us. Well, at first I just thought you were a stalker and total pain in the ass,” he amended. “But once I got to know you better, and especially once I moved in with you and we began to hunt together, it all felt like a game. Or even like a dream, at times. A very surreal dream.”

Hannibal looked genuinely interested in what Will was saying. “So when did it cease to be a game?”

That was one Will had to actually think about for a few seconds. The easy answer would be ‘as soon as Hannibal drove a hunting knife into Will’s gut’, but truthfully, it wasn’t that simple. Nothing in life ever was, but especially not when it came to Hannibal Lecter. He held out one hand, clearly showing Hannibal the empty finger. There was a thin band of skin that was paler than the rest, where a ring had once rested. “We’d made vows to each other before, but it really stopped being a game the day we said our vows in front of everyone else. That’s when I stopped and thought to myself, ‘holy shit, this is all entirely real. And I’m going to spend the rest of my life with this man’. But I was wrong about that, wasn’t I?”

The apologetic look on Hannibal’s face appeared genuine enough at a glance, but Will had spent too many years by Hannibal’s side to ever believe what was being so obviously telegraphed. Hannibal only looked that expressive for the benefit of others. “I didn’t want to leave you behind, but it was necessary. I gave you your freedom, Will.”

Will balled his hands into fists. “Well I never fucking asked for that, did I? I would have been happy enough just being with you. I didn’t need to preserve some stupid reputation from a bunch of people who hadn’t seen me in years. Either kill me or get out of here, Hannibal. I don’t have the energy these days to deal with you.”

,,,

Alana kept giving Will this nervous little look, and he couldn’t help wondering what he’d possibly done now to concern her. He’d been lying low, teaching his classes, and spending time with his pack. He’d even gone out on a date at Alana’s behest (though he wasn’t going to mention to her the part where he completely blew the whole thing and left the night early), so he had no idea what she was going to go on about now.

He raised one eyebrow at her, and when she still didn’t say anything, he let out a slightly annoyed sigh as he realized that he would have to start the conversation. “Okay, be honest with me, what is up with you? You keep looking at me like you’re afraid that I’m going to spontaneously burst into flames.”

Alana frowned, and leaned back in her seat, setting her fork down onto her plate. “I’m going to be honest with you, Will, I’m a little bit worried about you. As reluctant as you seemed to be a part of Jack Crawford’s crew, you also seemed a little bit excited to do something other than what you’d already been doing before. And I’m not saying that I think you should fight for that position back, because too be honest, I don’t think that getting that close to any of those cases would be a very good idea. But I think you should try and find something, Will.”

He frowned as well. “What do you mean? I have hobbies. I fish, and I make my lures, and I fix motors. What else do you want from me?”

Alana shrugged. “I don’t know. Maybe something a little bit more social, perhaps? People weren’t meant to live in complete isolation the way that you do. Leaving your house for work or to walk the dogs? It’s just not healthy.” At the stubborn look that Will could feel being displayed across his face, Alana’s shoulders slumped down, and her voice came out slightly quieter. “I just want you to be happy, Will. What will make you happy?” 

And wasn’t that just the hundred dollar question?

,,,

The two old men stared at each other from across the table, and then Hannibal gave a single shake of his head. “I don’t think that I can kill you, Will. I can see all the ways that my life would be much easier without you in it. My love for you is inconvenient, Will.”

Will scoffed, and tipped his seat back slightly so that he could stare up at the ceiling without straining his neck too much. “I don’t think you even know what love is. Because I can assure you that I did not feel loved for even a single second after you left me-” then he let his chair legs slam forward into the ground as he reached up to slap one hand over his mouth.

Hannibal smiled, but it wasn’t as smug as it could have been, given the situation. “Ah, so I was correct then, in assuming that your anger comes more from me leaving than from the blood that was spilled.”

Since he’d basically already admitted as much, Will leaned forward, feeling his shoulders hunch up defensively. “Alright, fine, you bastard. I was devastated that you left me. You didn’t even try to talk to me to figure out any kind of solution, you just left. And then you wonder why I didn’t go looking for you? I had no reason to think you even wanted to see me again. You’re the one who walked away, Hannibal. That’s entirely on you. And now this conversation is just going in circles.” He let out a tired sigh. “Like I said, kill me or get out. And since you just said you’re not going to kill me, that leaves you with one option.”

Hannibal tilted his head to the side. “Ah, this brings back old memories, doesn’t it?”

Will laughed, though it sounded slightly hollow even to his own ears. “Yeah it probably says something if so much of our relationship is about me telling you to leave me the hell alone. And you refusing to do so, of course. We’re both stubborn enough to just keep on surviving and living, and repeating our mistakes over and over again because it’s easier than changing.”

They were both silent for a moment, and then Hannibal suddenly reached out to take Will’s hand from where it had been lying on the table. He moved pretty quickly for a man of his age. “You’re right that we are both stubborn, and they say that you can’t teach an old dog new tricks. But to say that we are entirely incapable of change writes off so many possibilities.”

“Are you saying that you’re capable of change, Hannibal?” He couldn’t help the slight snort of disbelief that followed the question.

Hannibal squeezed Will’s hand just on the edge of being uncomfortably tight. “If there’s anything worth finding out for, it would be you.”

,,,

Will burst into Hannibal’s office, and looked around the empty room. He was glad that there wasn’t another patient in there at the moment. Just because he wanted his moment of a grand entrance didn’t mean he wanted to traumatize some poor soul who’d been in the middle of pouring their heart out. 

Hannibal was writing something in a small leatherbound journal. He continued for another several seconds before slowly and deliberately closing to notebook and setting it aside on his desk, and then leaned back, crossed one leg over the other, and looked up at Will. “Good morning, Will. I’ll admit that I was not expecting to see you again so soon after our last encounter.”

It didn’t escape Will’s attention that Hannibal implied he had meant to see Will again, but that was something to focus on at a later date, when he wasn’t so worried about losing his nerve and running way. Will gulped once, and then stood as straight as he could. “So how long in your expert care do you think it would take before you approve me to go back into the field?” He knew that it was a stupid idea, but he couldn’t get his conversation with Alana out of his head. He did need to be doing something. But it wasn’t the social part like she thought. It was the part where he was actually helping people and catching criminals and sometimes even saving lives. It was about knowing that he mattered in the grand scheme of things because he did his best to help when he had the chance to. 

The almost smug feeling he got from Hannibal irked him to no end, but he continued to stand his ground as Hannibal slowly assessed him. “Are there no other therapists you could see?” Will knew that it would be easy to bullshit enough to get a different person to sign off on his well being, and Hannibal knew it too.

“I’m not an idiot. I realize that maybe you were right about me being too unstable to be out there. So I don’t want to go back out there until I’m sure that I can do my job to the best of my ability, without bringing anything back with me.”

Hannibal slowly rose from his seat, and walked around his desk so that he was standing right in front of Will. “My services are on the pricey side. Are you sure that you can afford them without the FBI funding this?”

Will clenched his teeth, and nodded once. “I’m sure.” He made a decent salary from his teaching, and lived a pretty simple life overall, so he had some money in his savings already set aside for things besides just car troubles and natural disasters. He knew that Hannibal would be expensive, but he also knew that this was his best chance at actually being able to get back to doing something good for the world, without having to worry about losing himself in the process. “Should I book an appointment with you, or are you planning on hiring a new receptionist soon?”

The corners of Hannibal’s mouth curved up into a grin that was bordering on insidious. “I would be more than happy to find time for you myself.” 

Will tapped his foot impatiently as Hannibal slowly flipped through his little date book, and eventually they settled on Thursday evenings. Will was pretty sure that it meant Hannibal would be staying later than normal businesses were meant to be open, but he wasn’t going to complain. It’s not like he wanted a lot of people seeing him going into therapy. 

“Glad we have that settled,” he said tersely. “Send me the bill after our first hour.”

Hannibal smiled. “Oh, I charge by the session. Seeing as you came in here without an appointment, and took away time I could be using for other patients, I’m going to have to consider this to be a session.”

Will rolled his eyes. “Fine. Bill me for it.” Then he marched out of the office, all too aware of Hannibal’s eyes on his back as he left.

,,,

It had been so long since Will had gotten the chance to hold hands with Hannibal, and he hated the way that it felt so inherently right. But he had to pull his hand free eventually, and wanted to apologize, but he bit his tongue. “What is that you’re trying to accomplish here, exactly, Hannibal? What are you hoping to achieve by tracking me down like this? You can’t honestly expect me to believe that you want to change.”

“Why not? Why is it so difficult for you to believe that you are worth changing for?”

Will’s face flushed a light pink. “That’s not what I’m saying! I’m not- I’m just saying that in the entire time I’ve known you, you’ve always been the same person. Smug, arrogant, over the top, pretentious, murderous, superiority complex. None of that stuff is ever going to change about you, Hannibal. It’s just who you are.”

Of course it seemed like a bit of a mistake to tell Hannibal that there was anything he could not do, because he could only take it as a challenge, no matter how Will had intended for it to be received. “Perhaps there is more to me than you have had the chance to see, Will. Can your empathy peel back my skin and see every detail that is inside of me?”

Will clenched his jaw. “Of course not. But I was with you for a very long time, Hannibal.”

The older man gave Will a long look before suddenly speaking again. “Have I ever told you about my sister?”

,,,

Will couldn’t deny that he was a bit nervous to show up to his first real appointment with Hannibal. He knew that the man must’ve made some kind of special exception for him because someone with his reputation would surely be booked out for a while, or at least have some kind of waiting list. 

There was still no receptionist sitting at the desk outside of Hannibal’s office, so Will wasn’t exactly sure what he was supposed to do here. He decided to settle for knocking politely on the office door. It’s not like Will wanted to get kicked out before he even began. As much as Hannibal got on his nerves as a person, Will knew that he was also his best chance at actually getting what he needed. 

He only had to wait a minute or so before the door opened up, and Hannibal gestured grandly for Will to enter the office. He did, and once again was struck with the feeling of having turned his back on a predator. As Hannibal went to get settled at the chair in front of his desk, it occurred to him that maybe there was a reason he kept getting this feeling. His empathy was so rarely wrong when it came to giving him gut feelings about people.

Well, to be fair, he already knew that Hannibal was different than anyone else Will had met before. He’d never encountered anyone who made him feel confident in their ability to actually understand him at all. It was an interesting situation to be in, though he was quite certain that he’d never tell Hannibal as much. The man had a big enough head as it was, and he didn’t need the knowledge that maybe he’d been right to add to that.

Will sank down into the empty seat across from Hannibal, and mirrored the way the other man crossed one leg over the other, and rested his hands primly on top of his knee. He leaned back in his seat to stare at Hannibal, one eyebrow raised. “So, tell me how that makes you feel.”

There was definitely an amused look in Hannibal’s eyes. “Ah, I am sorry to inform you of this, but you seem to have misunderstood the meaning of the term ‘reverse psychology’.”

Will snorted. “It was worth a try.” Then he cleared his throat, and reverted to a more serious expression- as well as a more comfortable position to sit in. “Alright, Dr. Lecter. Let’s see just how it is you think that you can fix me.”

For some reason, that seemed to bring some measure of delight to Hannibal’s face. “Do you believe that you are broken, Will?”

Will furrowed his eyebrows as his stomach roiled in worry. He would definitely have to be wary of Dr. Hannibal Lecter. 

,,,

Will stared dumbly at Hannibal for a few seconds before he looked off into the distance and wracked his brain. Hannibal’s family had only ever come up in conversation a single time that Will could recall, and it had been Hannibal saying that they were dead. It had been in such a cold, threatening tone that Will had never dared to bring it up again. 

So he shook his head once. “No, I don’t think that you have. I didn’t know you have a sister.”

“Had,” Hannibal corrected in a more gentle tone than Will would have expected, given the circumstances. “Her name was Mischa, and even though she was much younger than me, she was the light of my life. I was with her as we watched our parents be murdered right in front of us. And I was not able to save her from being slaughtered and eaten by a group of desperate men. I did not know until I reached the bottom of the bowl of stew just what had been in it.” He gave Will one of his unreadable looks. “Don’t presume that you know everything about me, Will. You only know as much as I have allowed you to know.”

Will gulped at the emotionless way Hannibal was able to recount such a horrifying memory. And he was sure that there was far more detail to it than just what Hannibal had said aloud. “You know everything about me,” Will muttered. He didn’t want to sound accusatory, but he couldn’t help feeling slightly hurt that Hannibal had never trusted him enough to share everything with Will. “This is part of the problem, you know. Even after twenty years together, you could never let yourself be fully committed to anyone outside of yourself. You can’t possibly believe that I would stay with you. After two decades, Hannibal, I think I earned a bit of trust!” He slammed his hand down on the table to punctuate that last word, though regretted it when he could feel the slight sting in his palm.

He could see the way that Hannibal seemed offended by Will’s words, but now that Will had said it out loud, he knew that it was the truth, or at least a large part of the truth. He shoved his chair back and stood up, ignoring the way his knees ached at the abrupt movement. “For a smart man, you’re a complete idiot, you know that? Pushing people away and leaving them before they can leave you is such a basic thing that you’d love to point out in your patients, but if it’s anything that has to do with you, then suddenly you don’t want to hear anything of it. I’m so sick of your bullshit, Hannibal. Why can’t you just be honest for once? Do you even realize that in the entire time we were together, you never once told me how you feel about me? Why haven’t you ever told me that, Hannibal? In twenty years?” He could feel all of his pent-up frustration spilling out, and didn’t make any attempt to stop it. Hannibal deserved his ire at the moment.

,,,

Will wasn’t sure if he was supposed to let out a surprised gasp, or if there was some other, more appropriate reaction, to watching his therapist brutally murder a man. Well, maybe the ‘surprise’ part of the surprised gasp would be a bit misleading. Will wouldn’t have followed Hannibal all the way out of town in the middle of the night like this if he hadn’t already had his suspicions. Now the only question was what he was supposed to do about it.

Well, the obvious answer would be to call Jack Crawford, or even just the regular police, and report the crime he’d just witnessed. But as his heart beat quickly in his chest, and his blood seemed to be rushing through his veins at record speed, Will couldn’t help thinking that something in him seemed opposed to the idea of just turning Hannibal over to the police. 

He convinced himself that this was for the sake of having more information to share as evidence, and followed Hannibal on the long drive all the way back to his home, where the corpse was brought into the house in a large plastic trash bag to hide it from the view of any nosey neighbors who might be up so late. 

After waiting for a little while across the street from Hannibal’s house, hoping that his car wouldn’t be noticed, Will built up the courage to actually go and confront Hannibal. But as soon as he was standing right in front of the door, he realized just what an incredibly stupid idea that was. Hannibal would still be on the high of his kill, and would not hesitate to eliminate anyone he perceived as a threat.

He lingered there for a few seconds, as if he thought that Hannibal would actually be aware of his presence and come fling the door open, but when nothing happened, Will accepted defeat and trudged back to his car. He drove home, feeling weirdly disappointed in himself. It wasn’t until he’d already stripped and gotten into bed that he remembered he was supposed to have called the police.

,,,

The two old men stared at each other, both of them well aware that neither of them were likely to find any victory by the end of the night. But Hannibal had never been as cowardly as Will implied he was, and the doctor cleared his throat once. “You would like to know how I feel about you, Will?” His voice came out low and dangerous, in the tone that had always sent shivers down Will’s spine in the best ways. “I feel as though you are the only person in the world capable of destroying me. I feel that you have already gotten more from me than anyone alive, and yet you always ask for more. I feel that even now, your beauty transcends the work of any of the classics, and that your mind should be placed in museums so that everyone can witness its brilliance. And yet I feel that I would prefer if no one else ever laid their eyes on you, because you are mine.”

Will clenched his jaw. “That’s not what I mean, and you know it. What do you feel, Hannibal? Do you hate me? Do you enjoy my presence? Have I been nothing but a cover for you the entire time we’ve been together? Of course having a significant other would be a huge advantage to you, considering how well you had fit the profile of the Ripper before we got together.”

Hannibal gave Will a fond smile. “The fact that you even have to ask means that I have not my job very well.”

“What job?”

“That of making sure that you know how much you are loved, Will. I am aware that you once asked Bedelia if I am in love with you. She never did tell me how she answered the question, but it must not have been very effective if it did not get the message across.”

Will shrugged. “I don’t care what your therapist has to say, Hannibal. I want to hear the words right from your mouth, or I’ll never be able to believe them.”

Hannibal slowly stood up and walked around the table. Will decided to remain sitting, because he was just too tired to get up. “You are a terribly stubborn creature, Will.” He leaned forward, so that his eyes were right in front of Will’s. “I have always loved you.”

,,,

Hannibal looked at Will with one eyebrow raised curiously. “There is clearly something on your mind at the moment, Will. Considering my position as your doctor, I feel that if there is something you wish to talk about, I am the proper person to choose to listen to you.”

Will peered up over the tops of his glasses, wearing them like they were some kind of shield against Hannibal. Unfortunately, he knew that Hannibal was well aware of why Will would wear his glasses when he didn’t need them at the moment. He clenched his hands into fists, but left them resting on his thighs. A million things ran through his mind, but before he could think about it, his mouth was blurting out, “You’re the Chesapeake Ripper,” in such a confident tone that it took even Will by surprise.

The air in the room seemed the freeze solid from how frigid Hannibal’s expression went. There was no way to play it off as a joke or a hypothetical. Not with the way that Will had said it. His muscles all tensed up, but he didn’t move from where he was sitting. Not because he was frozen with fear, but more because he was aware that it would be a mistake to make any sudden movements in front of a predator. And he certainly wasn’t going to make the mistake of turning his back to Hannibal once again. 

Will stared unblinkingly at Hannibal, not wanting to miss it when the other man decided to make his move. But surprisingly, he continued to sit in his chair, not even shifting into a different position. Will gulped, and then immediately berated himself for showing any signs of his nervousness. He decided to forge ahead with the path he’d just set himself on. It was better than leaving an awkward silence between them. “I saw you three days ago when you took your field trip out of town.”

For some reason, that seemed to make Hannibal relax, and the air around them seemed to warm up again. “Then I suppose this means you plan on turning down the dinner invitation I was planning on extending to you?”

Of course Will had realized the full implications of his discovery, but somehow, knowing something in theory was a lot different than having it confirmed that at some point or another, he must have eaten human meat while dining with Hannibal. He gulped once, and leaned back just the slightest bit in his seat. It meant that he was leaving his belly exposed, showing a weakness to the vicious beast in front of him. He hoped that it would work as a sign of appeasement, to show that he didn’t intend to challenge him.

Then Will nearly started in his seat. He didn’t intend to challenge Hannibal? What the hell did that even mean? Was calling the police the challenge, or going out and making some art of his own? What the hell was wrong with him that he could even think like that- “It would be a shame to miss out on your cooking, Hannibal.” 

All of the remaining tension in the room dissipated, and Hannibal seemed to settle back into his seat without moving at all. “I shall have to forward you the details, then. I look forward to seeing you at my table.”

,,,

Will averted his eyes, unable to look directly at Hannibal even when they were so close to each other. “I find that a little bit hard to believe, all things considered.”

Hannibal let out a small sigh, but straightened up and took a step back so that he was no longer crowding Will. “It feels so familiar for us to be facing off against each other like this, does it not? You’ve always seemed to have trouble believing the things that I say. But then again, you’ve also struggled with believing the things that you say yourself, so perhaps the fault here lies with you.”

Will scowled. “If you loved me, you wouldn’t have left me to bleed out on our kitchen floor while you made a run for it to Europe. And with Bedelia, of all people?”

“Are you jealous, Will?” From the look on Hannibal’s face, he seemed to enjoy the idea of that possibility that he was right.

Will shook his head. “There’s nothing to be jealous of. You showed me all of the things you love about Europe long before you brought her there.” His scowl deepened, and he stared at the slightly stained tabletop like it had just insulted him. “Though I can’t help but wonder why it was so okay to bring her along on your great escape, but that your solution for me was to leave me to die.”

,,,

Even knowing exactly what was in his meal, Will couldn’t stop himself from finding it to be quite delicious. Which was to be expected, when Hannibal was the one doing the cooking. “What did you say was in this again?” He felt like he must be some kind of masochist to ask, and yet the question seemed to greatly amuse Hannibal.

“Pork,” he answered in a mild tone.

Will nodded. “Ah, yes, pork. That’s exactly what I was just thinking that it must be.”

,,,

Will was still exhausted, but he decided to stand up anyways, because he hated the idea of letting Hannibal continue to tower over him. “It’s late, Hannibal. I know that it’s a mess outside with that storm, so I’m going to let you take the couch, but I want you gone in the morning. Preferably before I wake up.”

“You wouldn’t even want me to stay long enough to make you breakfast?”

Will shook his head. “I don’t need anything from you, Hannibal. I don’t need you to take care of me, or act like a few eggs are going to make up for everything that you did. I do hope that you’re not just forgetting about the fact that this is all entirely your fault.” 

He turned to leave the kitchen and head to his bedroom, but Hannibal reached out to grab his arm and keep him where he was. “I’m rather enjoying this conversation too much for it to end now. Especially if I’m to be cast away in the morning. Stay, Will. Stay with me. Don’t run away. I thought that we were long past those days.”

Will violently yanked his arm free, and turned to face Hannibal. He knew that his eyes must be glittering with fury, but he didn’t care. “How dare you say that to me? I’m not the one who ran away! Maybe in the beginning I tried to stay away from you, but that’s only because I knew how dangerous you were, and didn’t want to get involved. But you’re the one who did all the running once it mattered, so just shut up, sleep on the damn couch, and then leave here and never come back!”

,,,

Their lips clashed together with a violence that Will had never experienced before. At least not without feeling it through someone else. He could taste copper on his tongue, but was so caught up in the moment that he honestly wasn’t sure which of them had gotten their lip bitten. 

Somehow they managed to make their way into the bedroom without tripping over anything or having to separate at all. For a moment Will wondered if it was because Hannibal was experienced in maneuvering through his house in situations like this, but then he quickly pushed the idea away because now wasn’t the time for something like that.

Clothes were torn off, and then Will had to wait impatiently for Hannibal to pick up every single article and fold it neatly before setting it down on top of his dresser. Then he finally climbed into the bed next to Will. “You are not something that I was ever expecting to encounter in my life.”

Will let out a nervous laugh. “If it makes you feel any better, I never thought I’d find myself with someone like you, either.”

,,,

Will slammed his bedroom door shut, and then leaned up against it, as if a wooden door with a flimsy lock and a single body in front of it would be enough to stop Hannibal from getting in if that’s what he really wanted to do. But they were both much too old for a physical fight, and he could only hope that Hannibal was smart enough to realize the same thing. Though he couldn’t deny that even now, when Hannibal was older and more wrinkled than him, he still gave off the feeling of being a monster to be feared, and not something to be laughed at.

Even though he’d said that he was going to bed, Will felt too keyed up to sleep, despite how tired he actually felt. So instead he just waited around for a little while, hoping that Hannibal would grow bored and just go to sleep. And then he left the room to go and find his dogs. He needed the comfort of his pack at the moment.

He paused in the entrance to the living room. Hannibal was sitting up on the couch, reading a book from Will’s shelf. The book was resting against his lap, and he was flipping the pages with one hand while using the other to pet Winston’s head. “Traitor,” Will grumbled towards the dog. 

Hannibal slowly looked up from the book. “Trouble sleeping?”

“If I have any trouble sleeping, it’s only because I’m plagued by nightmares of what you did to me.”

There was silence between them for just a second before Hannibal continued on. “May I see it?”

And wasn’t that an uncomfortably weird thing to ask of someone? But then again, Hannibal had always shown a strange fascination for Will’s scars. So before he could overthink it, Will moved to stand in front of Hannibal and he unbuttoned his shirt, though he left it on because he felt like even going completely shirtless in front of Hannibal would be too much. 

There was a bit of gut on Will that hadn’t been there a few years back, but he didn’t bother to feel self-conscious because he knew that that wasn’t something Hannibal would care about at all. And then he watched with wide, wary eyes as Hannibal reached reached up to lightly trace his fingers against the gnarled flesh. There was a reverent look in his eyes, which Will thought was rather narcissistic, considering that he’d been the one to put the mark there in the first place. “How was the pain?” 

Will took a step back to button his shirt up again. “Painful,” he grunted out. “I can still feel it sometimes now, when I stretch or twist in just the wrong way.”

“Would you like me to apologize, Will?”

Will rolled his eyes. “Would you mean it?”

,,,

“Hannibal, be honest. Have you ever thought about killing me before?”

It was a rather unorthodox question to ask of one’s lover, but they had never been a conventional couple, and Will didn’t intend to start being ‘normal’ now. Hannibal seemed to seriously consider the question for a few seconds before answering. “Yes. When we first met, I found you to be quite rude. Of course there would be too much suspicion if I were to kill you so soon after you were given reason to cause an argument with me, but I had your information saved in case I was still in need of meat a few months after that.” He tilted his head. “Why do you ask?”

Will shrugged. “I don’t know. I guess I just think it’s interesting to know how close I might have come to dying. So when did you decide that you didn’t want to kill me after all?”

“I am not entirely sure. Perhaps it was when I overheard the tail end of your lecture on the Ripper. You made it sound quite poetic, and you also showed me that you are far smarter than I had believed. Or maybe it was when you burst into my office, all but demanding that I treat you. While it was very rude of you to do so, I also found it to be quite admirable. It takes a certain level of bravery and honesty with oneself to acknowledge the need for help.” Then Hannibal gave Will a curious look. “Have you ever thought about killing me, Will?”

Will gulped, but he knew that it was only fair to be honest after Hannibal had been. “Maybe, once. It wasn’t really a solid thought in my mind, but I guess it was there. When I found out that you had lied about passing me on my psych eval.”

“How would you do it, Will?”

That took a couple moments of careful consideration before Will answered, speaking slowly so that he could choose each word with a proper amount of deliberation. “I would have to do it with my hands. Anything else would be too impersonal. I think I’d wrap my hands around your neck, and squeeze until you stopped struggling, and your lips went blue.” He grabbed the book Hannibal had been reading and snapped it shut before putting it down on the bedside table, and then moved to straddle Hannibal’s lap. He reached up to gently rest his hands around Hannibal’s neck. He didn’t squeeze at all, just left his hands there. “Would you fight me off?”

Hannibal reached up to hold Will’s wrists, but made no move to pull his hands away from where they were. “I’m not entirely sure,” he admitted. “To see you in that moment would be too beautiful, and would surely take my breath away before I could decide.”

,,,

Hannibal looked strangely earnest, even as he gave a slight shrug of his shoulders. “It is the truth that I am sorry for causing you to suffer so much pain, Will. But it would be dishonest for me to claim that I regret doing what I did. It was to protect you, above all else, no matter how difficult it may be for you to understand that.” He paused for a moment before clearing his throat once. “If I were to apologize, would you be able to find it within yourself to forgive me, Will?”

Will stubbornly shook his head. “I doubt that I could ever forgive you, Hannibal. You tried to kill me, you abandoned me, and then ran off on a romantic vacation with somebody else. It’s only been three years, Hannibal. Try asking me again in another ten, though I doubt that my answer would change at all.”

Hannibal laughed. “I am not entirely sure that either of us will still be alive in another ten years, but if we are, then I will take you up on that offer, if we cannot reach a satisfactory conclusion now. Just tell me what it would take to earn your forgiveness Will. I would do anything for you.”

Will shrugged. “I don’t know. Life just sucks sometimes. I’m not going to make myself even more miserable trying to figure out why that is.” He took a step back, and shrugged again. “Anyways, I should probably head to bed for real this time. Just throw another couple of logs onto the fire before you go to sleep.”

“Wait,” Hannibal requested in a voice that was rather difficult to ignore. He stood up, and then reached into his pocket. Will narrowed his eyes as he waited to see what would be revealed. Then Hannibal held his hand palm up, showing the silver ring resting on the center of it.

There seemed to be a lump in Will’s throat as he stared at the innocuous piece of jewelry. He’d recognize it anywhere after wearing it for so long, though he hadn’t seen it in three years, and had assumed that it was lost forever. He reached out to pick it up before he could tell himself what a bad idea that was, and slowly turned it over in his hands. He could still easily make out the inscription that went around the inside of the band. ‘ _For eternity and a day_ ’. 

,,,

“I know that we’re not the most normal pairing in the world, but we’re happy. And while we are both strong on our own, we are stronger together, watching each other’s backs and being there for each other no matter what. And, of course, being with Hannibal means being able to have access to his amazing cooking whenever I feel like it.” There was a light murmur of laughter through the audience in response to Will’s words. He felt proud of himself for being able to cause that reaction to a crowd of people who usually held themselves so seriously.

Hannibal gave Will a fond smile of his own, and he was angled towards Will in a way that meant the smile was a private thing, for Will’s eyes only. Everytime Hannibal did something that only Will had the privilege of witnessing, it made something in Will’s stomach feel warm and content. 

He listened intently to Hannibal’s vows, and felt his eyes start to water just a bit once they were done. Then they both kissed, and listened to the crowd cheer for them as they did so. Will would probably cheer too if he weren’t so busy feeling entirely wrapped up with his lo- with his husband. He grinned widely. It was going to be strange getting used to using that word, but it also felt really good.

,,,

Will took in a shaky breath, and his vision became blurred as tears built up in his eyes. “You’re the one who took this?” It had never been listed with his other personal effects that he’d had on him when he’d been admitted to the hospital, and he’d always just assumed that Alana, or some other concerned friend, had taken it so that he wouldn’t have to see it when he woke up. “Why?”

Hannibal frowned. “There was no time to pack a bag, and I couldn’t bring along my phone for all the photos on it. I needed something to remember you by, I suppose. Perhaps that just makes me oddly sentimental, but I have felt rather comforted by the presence of something that was yours for so long. And it still is yours, if you want it. It does not have to mean anything.”

Will snorted. “Jesus christ, Hannibal, it’s my wedding ring. You can’t possibly believe that it doesn’t have to mean anything.” But he didn’t make any move to give it back, or even just throw it away. That ring had been on his hand without fail for seventeen years. The first thing he’d noticed when he’d woken up in the hospital was that he hadn’t had it on. But he didn’t say anything about it to anyone. He was supposed to be playing the part of a grieving man who just found out that his husband was actually a serial killer. “God damn you, Hannibal,” he muttered. “You must have some kind of magical ability to show up whenever you’re most likely to leave behind the maximum amount of damage.”

,,,

From the beginning, Will had made it clear that he had no interest in going hunting with Hannibal. He did his own kind of hunting, though his involved more research and slipping names to his husband than getting any blood on his own hands. It wasn’t about keeping himself clean, it was just about the fact that he didn’t believe himself to be a killer. Hannibal seemed to accept that easily enough, which was relief. It would be difficult to fill out divorce forms if their marriage ended over a fight about one of them not killing anyone.

But regardless of Will’s personal choices, he had no issues with eating the fruits of Hannibal’s labor, and heaping praise upon his husband. He knew that Hannibal just ate up all of the compliments, as big-headed as he was. But he still gave them anyways, because they were well deserved.

Tonight, though, Will was dining at the Bloom house. Margot kissed the air next to both of his cheeks before leading him to the dining room. “Oh, Alana is so excited that you finally took her up on one of her invitations. I think she was just about ready to start beating down your door.”

Alana was already in the dining room, balancing a baby on her hip, as Margot walked in with Will right behind her. “Look who it is! Look, Jamie, it’s Uncle Will!”

The baby made a gurgling noise in response, and Alana laughed. “Seems as though he’s happy to see you.”

Will laughed. “That will certainly make this dinner less awkward to know that at least someone is.”

Margot gently swatted at Will’s shoulder. “Oh, stop it. You know that we love you.”

Soon enough, they were all seated, and had delicious looking plates of food resting on the table in front of them. Well, the adults did anyways. Jamie had a bowl of mush that Will was hesitant to even look at for too long, in case it grew sentient and starting moving around on its own. “So how have you three been?” 

Alana smiled. “We’ve been really good lately, thank you. How about you and Hannibal?”

“We’re great, though I suppose that the honeymoon phase is officially over.”

Margot and Alana exchanged a look that seemed to share an entire silent conversation, and then Alana turned back to Will after clearing her throat once. “I’m very happy for you, Will, and the ceremony was a beautiful thing. But I suppose that I can’t help having a few… concerns. Since the wedding, it feels like no one has seen you at all outside of work. And when I brought lunch to your office last week, I noticed that you had a rather large bruise across your face.”

Will’s eyes widened as he realized what Alana was trying to get at, and he quickly shook his head. “If you’re trying to ask me whether Hannibal’s abusing me, then I can assure you that he’s not. We’ve been spending a lot of time together because we’re newlyweds, but like I said, the honeymoon period is over, and we’re both going to go back to behaving more normally. As for the bruise…” he trailed off, and could feel his face heating up as he thought about what had happened. He decided to be honest without going into too much detail. “We were trying out something new, and I lost my balance and fell face first into the bedside table.” 

Maybe the honest embarrassment in his voice was convincing enough, because Margot’s face went slightly pink as she looked back at her food. Alana didn’t look quite as convinced, but after thoroughly inspecting Will for a minute, she nodded. “Alright then. I’m glad that we got that cleared up. Now who wants some dessert?”

,,,

“Perhaps you are right,” Hannibal said quietly. “Destruction does seem to follow in my wake no matter where I go. But I find it difficult to believe that you could truly hate me for such a thing.”

Will wrapped his fingers tightly around the ring in his hand, not wanting to let go of it for even a second, while at the same time hating himself for thinking such a thing. “You’re a real bastard, Hannibal, you know that? You-” he was then interrupted by the sound of a particularly loud rumble of thunder outside. 

Winston pressed his nose up against Hannibal’s leg and whimpered softly. Hannibal sank back down onto the couch so that he was in a better position to pet the dog. “Winston does not seem to hold it against me that I went to such great lengths to keep you safe.”

“Well Winston doesn’t understand much at all, since he was in the kennel when you did something that was most certainly not safe.” Then he furrowed his eyebrows and looked around the room. “Speaking of which, where are my other dogs? You better not have done anything to harm them just because you don’t know them.”

Hannibal held up his hands in the universal gesture of innocence. “I would not do that. I know how much they mean to you. You needed something to provide you with companionship so that you would not be left feeling entirely alone. I always knew that you were a dog person, but I never realized that you could so easily use them to replace the human affection that you desire.”

“Where are the dogs?”

“Asleep, I presume. Perhaps they are more comfortable sleeping through this storm than Winston is.”

When Winston looked up at him with those adorable puppy dog eyes that made him look so much younger than his gray fur and muzzle implied, Will had no choice but to sit down as well so that Winston could curl up between the two men and get pet and comforted by both of them. “I think I hate you,” Will said suddenly.

Hannibal nodded solemnly. “I know.”

,,,

Will was a bit surprised to hear a knock at the front door. It was very rare that anybody came by the house without having plans first. Though no one knew the extent of the consequences, they were all well aware that Hannibal viewed such a thing as being quite rude. And there were definitely no plans going on for the day.

Will hurried to the door to open it, and was surprised to see a vaguely familiar face. He couldn’t put a name to it, though, and wondered if she was some door to door saleswoman or something. “Hello?”

The woman held out her hand, and when Will shook it, he could feel the cold plastic of a prosthetic before the handshake ended. “Good afternoon, Mr. Graham. I’m Agent Miriam Lass, with the Behavioral Analysis Unit of the FBI. Do you have a few minutes to talk?”

The sound of her name did ring a few bells. She had gone missing back when she was still just a student. Hannibal had been the one to take her. He’d eventually given her back, though, mostly as a way of messing with Jack Crawford. And apparently she had gone back to her training to become an agent, though Will assumed that that was only after some extensive therapy. 

He didn’t want to seem suspicious, but also didn’t want to let a law-enforcement agent into his home if he didn’t have to. “Can I ask why an FBI agent would be knocking on my door? I’ve been retired for the past five years already.” Considering his husband's main hobby, he had decided not to continue pursuing the idea of going back into the field, and had instead decided to stick to his teaching.

She gave him a small smile. “It’s actually about your husband. Do you mind if we talk inside?”

Will tried to keep his reluctance off of his face as he opened the door wider and stepped back so that the agent could enter his house. He didn’t know what she wanted to talk about in regards to Hannibal, but he could take a few guesses, and none of them were good.

,,,

Will slowly woke up to the smell of sizzling bacon and eggs cooking, and he opened his eyes. Sunlight was shining in through the open curtains, and Will groaned as he realized that he’d fallen asleep on the couch last night. He pried himself up out of the cushion, and winced at how much his back ached from the movement, and from being in such an awkward position all night long. He decided to blame Hannibal for this. He already blamed the man for so much else that he didn’t think one more thing would make much difference.

He stretched his arms up over his head, and as he lowered them back down, he spotted a glint of silver, and paused to look closer. Hannibal had slid his ring onto his finger while he was sleeping. Will narrowed his eyes, and wanted to storm to the kitchen to give Hannibal quite the lecture, but he did have to use the bathroom first.

Then he stormed into the kitchen to given Hannibal quite the lecture. “Why’d you do this?”

Hannibal glanced away from the stove to see where Will was waving his hand around. “You seemed concerned about losing it, and I figured that this was the easiest way to deal with that.” Then he scooped some food onto a plate, and handed it out to Will. “I’ll admit, you didn’t leave me a lot to work with, but I did my best.”

Will grabbed a fork, and then sat down at the table to dig in. after a couple of bites, he frowned and looked up accusingly. “Didn’t I tell you to be gone in the morning?”

“You did,” Hannibal said in an almost cheerful tone. “But I felt that we still have so much to talk about.”

Will sighed with loud exaggeration, but knew that he wouldn’t be able to shove Hannibal out if he didn’t want to go, so he just sullenly continued to eat his breakfast, and tried not to think about how good it tasted, even if it did feel like it was missing a certain little something.

,,,

“There’s no time, they’re coming tonight!” Will hissed. “We need to get out of here and drive like crazy to the nearest train station so that we can get to the airport before they shut down to keep us trapped!”

Hannibal looked far too calm, considering the situation. Then he suddenly leaned forward to cup the side of Will’s face with one hand and pulled him into a kiss. Will found himself getting lost in it, just like he always did, until suddenly there was an indescribably pain tearing through his stomach, and he looked down to see a knife being dragged through him. 

His eyes traveled up the handle of the knife to see a hand, and then up to the arm connected to it, and from there to the rest of the body. His brain was having trouble comprehending the idea that Hannibal was the one who had just stabbed him, and yet there were no other possibilities. 

Will wanted to scream, but it felt like his voice was frozen. Then Hannibal yanked the knife free, and it felt like blood was spraying everywhere. Hannibal gave Will another long kiss, and then gently lowered him to the floor. Will had no time to try and read Hannibal’s eyes, to see what the hell was going on, before Hannibal was leaving, walking out of the house in a shirt stained all over with Will’s blood. 

Will curled up in a ball, clutching one arm tightly over his new wound. The last thought he had before falling unconscious was that the shirt Hannibal had just ruined was one that Will had given him as a gift last year.

,,,

After breakfast had been cleaned up, Hannibal and Will went out to the back porch, and they both sat down on the wooden bench swing. It gave a gorgeous view of the forest that surrounded Will’s home. Everything was still damp from the storm the night before, but neither of the men seemed to mind it.

They sat in silence for a while before Will spoke, though he continued to stare at the forest instead of looking at Hannibal. “How screwed up is it that even after everything, I still missed you?”

Hannibal slowly reached out to rest his hand on top of Will’s, both of their wedding rings making a slight clicking noise as they were pressed together. “I missed you more than anything after I left. I’ve never before felt like another person had so much power over me.”

Will snorted. “You and I are so messed up that I don’t think there’s any force in the world that could change that. And yet… I still love you, Hannibal.”

Hannibal leaned over to press a light kiss to the side of Will’s head. “And I you.”

Will sighed. “Will you say forever and mean it this time?”

“Yes, I promise, beloved.”

Will nodded once. “Good. Now shut up and enjoy the beauty of nature.” He shifted to rest his head on Hannibal’s shoulder, and they both stared out at the woods in silence. It was the most peaceful Will had felt in a very long time.


End file.
